1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to trash compactors and more particularly to trash compactors having a two stage compacting process with a single ram for compacting in both stages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Collecting and transporting trash from urban communities has become a major industry throughout the civilized world. Because trash must be transported from urban areas to areas where it can be left in landfills or otherwise disposed of, an important function in transporting trash is to first compact it so as to reduce the volume required to transport a given weight of waste material.
Trash compactors have been utilized in homes and apartment buildings to compact trash. They have also been utilized on trucks which collect trash in urban areas to increase the payload of the trucks as the trucks collect the material from households and commercial establishments. Trash compactors have also been utilized in trash transfer stations where trash is brought by vehicles that collect it in urban areas and reprocessed and placed on larger vehicles for long haul transhipment to remote landfills or other disposal locations.
The trash compactor of the present invention contemplates an efficient two stage compacting device in which a single ram compresses and compacts trash material in both stages of compaction.
Trash compactors on refuse trucks are well known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,355,044, 3,454,174, 4,016,988, and 4,113,125 are all examples of trash compactors mounted on refuse trucks.
Trash compactors for use in homes and apartment buildings are also well known. Examples of these compactors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,638,561 and 4,757,758. Multistage trash compactors are also known as is evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,538.
The multistage compactor of the present invention is particularly well suited for compacting bottles and cans, particularly plastic bottles which, when they have a cap on them, are difficult to crush or break, and the two stage process of the present invention permits bottles and cans to be precompacted before they are compacted a second time. U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,384 recognizes the difficulty of compacting bottles and cans and attempts to solve this problem with a mechanism quite different than that of the present invention.
The multistage compactor of the present invention is also useful in precompacting bulky items, such as cardboard cartons, before they are moved into the storage area of the present invention for a second stage of compaction.